Tallahassee State College unveiled plans yesterday for a new $27 million facility in Wakulla County meant to serve a focal point for healthcare and education workforce training.
Wakulla County’s population has grown a lot in recent years, from about 33,000 in 2020 to 39,000 now.
Shelly Bell, TSC’s vice president for workforce development, says the new facility will expand the college’s ability to train workers from the area for jobs that are needed to meet that growth.
“Expanding those training opportunities so students don’t have to leave here to drive all the way into Tallahassee for programs like our licensed practical nursing or patient care tech to be able to put a state-of-the-art hub right here in the community,” she said.
The project is funded through two main sources: $17 million in federal funding through the U.S. Economic Development Administration and 10 million from Triumph Gulf Coast, the nonprofit corporation that distributes settlement money from the 2010 Deepwater horizon oil spill.
The two-story building will feature classrooms, specialized laboratories, a healthcare simulation center and more. Parts of it are also designed to serve as a hurricane shelter.
